Cosby Show for summer return

Bill Cosby could be returning to the NBC network with a new comedy as soon as next summer.

The series, described as a "classic, extended-family sitcom" with Cosby as the patriarch, is currently in the writing stage, NBC executives said.

Cosby (77) has a long history with NBC. His seminal The Cosby Show became a smash hit 30 years ago and helped rescue a network then at the bottom of the ratings. It ran for eight seasons.

After that, Cosby headlined a sitcom at CBS, among other series.

If the new Cosby project isn't ready for next summer, it could be a contender for 2015.

Another veteran NBC star, Michael J Fox, returned to the fold last year. But despite his breakout success in 1982 on Family Ties, The Michael J. Fox Show proved to be a flop and was cancelled this spring.

NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt acknowledged his disappointment that the show didn't click with viewers.